Mountain View 45, Mill Creek 43: Spencer Rodgers and Miles Long both scored 12 points. Uchenna Nwagbara muscled in the game-winner as time expired.

Meadowcreek 50, Parkview 49: Amari Kelly was a man possessed inside for the Mustangs as he posted 25 points and 18 rebounds to knock the Panthers from the ranks of the unbeatens. In the loss, Toneari Lane had 14 points. Cam Chavers and Truitt Spencer both scored 11.

Grayson 57, Discovery 50 OT: In what looks to be a blossoming rivalry, Grayson nipped Discovery for the second time in three meetings already this season. Discovery’s 11-of-27 free throw shooting came back to haunt them. Grayson was led by Travis Anderson’s 16 points and 7 rebounds. Nick Edwards had 13 points and 4 assists. Deali Thompson pitched in 6 points and 7 boards. Jaden Stanley finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds for Discovery. Jaylen Bussey added 9.

Class AAAAAA

No. 1 Gainesville 48, 4ANo. 7 St. Pius 43: KJ Buffen went down for the game on the jump ball, injuring his foot on the opening tip, but Gainesville still managed to hold off a tough St. Pius team without their star player. Bailey Minor scored a game-high 18 points and Jarred Rosser added 11. Everett Lane scored 12 and Matt Gonzalo netted 10 in the loss.

No. 7 Alpharetta 48, Dunwoody 46: Dunwoody led for the majority of the game, but Carlos Carierre delivered a tip-in at the buzzer to hand the Raiders their second straight thrilling buzzer beating win. Carriere and David Swillum both scored 7 points. The Raiders were led by Ellis Merriweather’s 14. Dunwoody leaned on their own balance with Turner Nims (11), Ty Lilly (10), Sidi Diallo (8) and Jeff Powell (7) all contributing.

Class AAAAA

No. 1 Columbia 63, Arabia Mountain 59: Arabia Mountain took the lead at the 5:38 mark of the third quarter and led up until 1:25 left in regulation when Kenton Eskridge tied the game at 57. Jalen Cobb, who scored 10 of his team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, was fouled with seven seconds left and hit both free throws to take a two point lead. Darius Giles raced down the other end of the floor and was fouled with .8 seconds left but missed his first attempt and had to intentionally miss his second but was called for a lane violation. The Rams fouled Cobb one last time and he hit both free throws to seal the game officially. Eskridge finished with 10 points for the Eagles while Giles scored a game-high 19 for Arabia Mountain.

No. 8 Fayette County 79, 4ANo. 3 Henry County 65: Furman-signee Noah Gurley went off for 31 points and 5 rebounds. Joshua Dupree had 19 points while Phillip Young finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Austin Nesmith had 4 points and 11 assists. Javon Greene was held to 19 points after throwing in 57 at Holiday Hoopsgiving. Seth Brown pitched in 17.

Effingham County 65, No. 9 New Hampstead 64: Jaden Rodriguez netted 12 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth quarter to upset the Phoenix. Kha’leed Stapleton pitched in 13 points and Demonte Lee had 10 to help the Rebels. New Hampstead received 25 points from Oronte Anderson. Roemain Bennett had 13 and Calvin Turner netted 5.

Villa Rica 78, Chapel Hill 57: After trailing 32-28 at the half, Villa Rica turned on the afterburners to blitz past the Panthers. Latrell Swanigan scored 19 of his team-high 21 points in the second half. Rodney Thomas and Nigel Taylor both poured in 15 points.

Class AAAA

No. 2 Upson Lee 77, 1ANo. 2 Crawford County 66: Five Knights finished in double figures led by Tye Fagan’s 24 points. Zyrice Scott added 12 points and 5 assists while big man Travon Walker went for 13 points and 11 boards. The home loss was just Crawford County’s second at home since 2014.

Gainesville 58, St. Pius 50: Taylor Hawks poured in a game-high 24 points and Tija Blackwell added 11 to hold off the Golden Lions who trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter. Macey Carson led St. Pius with 16 points while Kathryn McKenzie posted 7 points and 14 rebounds.

Cartersville 44, Sonoraville 41: Kimora McClinic scored a game-high 18 for the Hurricanes as they slipped past Sonoraville after trailing at the end of each of the first three quarters. Grace Darnell scored 13 points in the loss for the Phoenix.

Class A-Public

Pelham (0-0)

Terrell County (0-0)

Taylor County (1-0)

Greenville (1-0)

Telfair County (2-0)

Treutlen (0-0)

Wheeler County (1-1)

Wilcox County (1-0)

Mitchell County (0-0)

Woodville-Tompkins (2-1)

No. 1 Norcross holds onto the top spot in Class AAAAAAA after going 2-0 at Turkey Jamm. McEachern supplants Archer for the No. 2 ranking after the Indians dropped Holy Innocents’ 78-71 at Holiday Hoopsgiving and beforehand, drilled Southwest DeKalb 62-35. No. 4 Collins Hill showed Columbus what 7A basketball is all about, beating the Class 4A Preseason No. 1 Blue Devils 57-32, holding Tatyana Wyatt to just nine points. Brookwood drops out after a 66-53 loss to Hillgrove and a 60-44 defeat at the hands of Southwest DeKalb. Surging into the Top 10 is No. 8 North Forsyth, a young group with five freshmen and one sophomore. The Raiders won their Progressive Lightning Thanksgiving Tournament, beating Northview in the semifinals and No. 10 Cherokee in the championship, 45-39 riding the hot hand of forward Cassie Markle.

Class AAAAAA sees Harrison jump from No. 5 to No. 1 following a 64-48 win over No. 4 Douglas County and two No. 2 Winder-Barrow losses at the Tabo Tip-Off Classic. Flowery Branch edged the Bulldoggs 55-46 and Winder lost to Loganville 30-29. Winder-Barrow will need to get healthy as starting sophomore guard Chellia Watson was injured against Flowery Branch and did not return and did not play against Loganville the following day. Brunswick exits the Top 10 with losses to Johnson-Savannah 49-37 and Camden County 57-30. Another coastal area team replaces the Pirates in No. 10 Glynn Academy, who opens 3-1 with their lone loss coming to Calvary Day 41-36.

Idle Buford gets bounced from Class AAAAA No. 1 by Flowery Branch. The Falcons are 5-1 with signature wins over Winder-Barrow and Jefferson (61-40). Their only loss came to Bradley Central, TN 63-53 at the Holiday Inn Express Tournament. Bradley Central finished 34-4 last season and is regarded as one of the top programs in Tennessee. No. 8 Harris County pounded Kendrick into submission 46-33 at the Columbus Classic. Bainbridge opens the season 1-1 and falls from No. 5 to unranked. The Bearcats lost to Monroe 52-46 and beat Dougherty 44-38. It’s an early exit for Bainbridge but don’t expect them to be out of the statewide picture for long. Replacing them is No. 9 Arabia Mountain. No. 10 Loganville holds tight at the bottom of the poll thanks to their resume building win over Winder-Barrow.

Columbus’ poor showing on the big stage at Holiday Hoopsgiving against Collins Hill drops them to No. 2. Rising to the occasion in Class AAAA is No. 1 North Oconee. The Lady Titans are 4-0 with their latest victory coming over Clarke Central 50-47. North Oconee faces a gauntlet ahead of them highlighted with hosting Buford on Tuesday and visiting Archer on Friday. Buford has become a rival, as the Titans ended the Wolves’ region dominance by beating them 54-51 in the Region 8-AAAA title game last season after losing 55-31 in the regular season.

Jacksonville-signee Alexis Pierce is averaging 21.5 points and 5.8 rebounds for Class AAA No. 1 Johnson-Savannah. The Atomsmashers beat Grovetown in overtime 79-78. The Warriors were without point guard Savannah Giles and College of Charleston-signee Destiny Marshall. No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian flashed its potential and rises back into the Top 3 after beating Stephenson 66-57 and pummeling Henry County 85-52. Kendrick exits the poll with a loss to Harris County and Fayette County (45-33). Monroe slides in at No. 10 after beating Bainbridge.

Even with a loss to South Carolina power North Augusta 62-56, Laney moves up to No. 3 in Class AA. De’Sha Benjamin is back in red and white and is a game-changer on the wing. She holds High Major offers and instantly becomes one of the best players in the state with her return to the GHSA. Dade County appears in the poll at No. 6 after a 4-0 start beating River Ridge (57-54), Northwest Whitfield (53-50) and Armuchee (68-53), winning the Northwest Whitfield Thanksgiving Classic in the process. Swainsboro, Armuchee and Heard County relinquish their spots in the Top 10. Entering is the aforementioned Dade County, No. 9 Fitzgerald and No. 10 Dublin.

St. Francis, a national power, loses its grip of No. 1 in Class A-Private with a 49-42 loss to Homewood-Flossmor, who Norcross beat 55-43. Wesleyan takes over the top spot. No. 3 Holy Innocents’ lost to McEachern but rebounded by routing Hoover, AL 67-37 at Holiday Hoopsgiving. Savannah Country Day is replaced by No. 9 Stratford Academy. No. 8 Lakeview Academy scored a win over Rabun County 67-60 to win the Piedmont College Hardwood Classic. Southwest Atlanta Christian’s dynasty of top level competitiveness across the state might be coming to an end. With low player turnout each and every year, the complications might finally be catching up to the Warriors. They fall to No. 10 after getting blown out by Newton (66-31) and Morgan County (58-31).

In Class A-Public, Hancock Central drops out after losing to Baldwin 50-41. No. 10 Woodville-Tompkins makes its debut at 2-1, their only loss coming to Beach.

Class A-Public

Wilkinson County (0-0)

Crawford County (1-0)

Turner County (0-0)

Calhoun County (1-0)

Quitman County (3-1)

Taylor County (0-1)

Hawkinsville (2-0)

Manchester (0-1)

Lincoln County (0-0)

Hancock Central (0-1)

Holiday Hoopsgiving has shed a little bit of light on the state picture, but still a clear state championship favorite in Class AAAAAAA has yet to emerge. The reason why? The parity of competition across the GHSA might be at an all-time high. National rankings don’t mean much when you lace them up and play in the Peach State. Wheeler, MaxPreps’ No. 2 ranked team in the nation, was stunned by Vashon, MO 69-67 at Hoopsgiving after holding an 11-point fourth quarter lead. Any loss is considered a “bad” loss for the Wildcats with as much talent as they have. They did knock off Class 6A No. 2 Jonesboro 66-58 on Friday, but Saturday’s loss drops them to No. 3. Without question the state’s two hottest teams are No. 1 Norcross and No. 2 Newton. Both teams are 4-0 with all eight combined wins against ranked opponents. Newton slammed Class 3A No. 3 Liberty County 104-71 at Hoopsgiving while Norcross countered with a 57-46 win over Class A-Private No. 1 Greenforest. On Saturday, the Rams went to the On the Radar Hoops Showcase and raced past No. 9 Berkmar in the fourth quarter 84-68. Norcross added to their resume an 82-74 win over Class 3A No. 1 Westside-Macon. So why does Norcross jump over Newton as the teams were ranked No. 5 and No. 4 respectively last week? As astounding as the Rams’ wins have been, Norcross’ W’s over Westside-Macon and Greenforest are just an inch better, even though Greenforest is without leading scorer Justin Forrest due to a foot injury. Newton’s electric romp of Liberty County was breathtaking, but if we are being honest, this Liberty County team just isn’t the same right now without Richard LeCounte, the 5-star UGA football recruit who averaged 20 points and 5 rebounds as a junior. LeCounte will not be playing basketball this year and the loss of his dynamic athleticism showed in their game against Newton. No. 6 McEachern is quietly looming, picking up wins over Class 6A No. 8 Allatoona and Class 6A No. 5 Langston Hughes. No. 7 Collins Hill rises after beating Class 5A No. 1 Columbia 54-51 at the Cleveland Stroud Classic. The Eagles did however suffer a loss to Class 5A No. 7 Southwest DeKalb in the championship game, 65-61. No. 5 Westlake had a shot to earn a Top-3 ranking, but the Lions fell to Greenforest 59-57. No. 10 Tift County slides back to the bottom of the poll. Montverde Academy, FL beat the Blue Devils by 32, but that’s not why they fall. Their big win over Thomasville a week ago which boosted them up the polls now doesn’t look like a signature victory as the Bulldogs are 0-3 to start. Tift County however did rebound after their loss to Montverde by beating Lake Minneola, FL 63-47, Preston Horne scoring a career-high 40 points.

With Class AAAAAA Preseason No. 1 Jonesboro losing to Wheeler, No. 1 Gainesville has just enough to sneak past the Cardinals to earn the top spot. Much like Class 7A, expect Class 6A to be in flux all year long. Gainesville’s new ranking will be put to the test right away as they see St. Pius, Milton, Lee (Huntsville), Brookwood and St .Pius again in a challenging stretch. Jonesboro has six region games in a row before heading to the City of Palms Classic. No. 4 Heritage-Conyers climbs two spots to No. 4. The Patriots blew out Peachtree Ridge at the On the Radar Showcase 77-59 behind Jordan Thomas’ 26 points and Isaiah Banks’ 19. Langston Hughes is the most dangerous 1-3 team in the state as the Panthers drop to No. 5. It took a heroic once-in-a-lifetime performance from Javon Greene to help Class 4A No. 3 Henry County stun Langston Hughes in overtime, 92-89. Still licking their wounds from a tough to swallow defeat, Hughes was beat on Saturday by Class 7A No. 6 McEachern 70-61. Their only win of the season came against Northside-Columbus at the Columbus Classic Shootout, 105-65. Landers Nolley scored 50 in the win and followed up his performance with 35 in the loss to Henry County. No. 6 Dacula has taken care of business so far behind Arusha Hunter and Mekhail Bethea. No. 7 Alpharetta is trying to force its way into the discussion as one of the state’s elite Class AAAAAA programs. The Raiders beat Johns Creek in the Progressive Lighting Thanksgiving Tournament championship 70-53 and followed up by beating Duke signee Alex O’Connell and Milton 70-68 on an Ellis Merriweather buzzer beater. No. 8 Allatoona starts the year 0-2 with a 46-43 loss to McEachern and a 60-54 loss to Lee, AL. The Bucs enter region play for the next three games and should be able to get back on track. Alexander was bounced from the poll, losing to Hillgrove 70-55. Replacing them is No. 10 Tri-Cities. The Bulldogs dropped their first game of the year to Ribault, FL at the Andrew Jackson Thanksgiving Tournament.

Even with a loss to Collins Hill, Columbia holds on as No. 1 in Class AAAAA. Cedar Shoals and Buford are close behind at No. 2 and No. 3. Buford beat Class 3A No. 6 GAC 66-57. Not too much changes in the poll except for Southwest DeKalb’s jump to No. 7. The Panthers’ balanced offense and aggressive defense has given teams fits. They won the Cleveland Stroud Classic by beating Collins Hill in overtime. No. 9 New Hampstead has challenged themselves, losing to York Prep, SC 71-65. Riverwood holds onto No. 10 after losing to South Forsyth 70-61 as UNCW signee Evan Cole dropped in 39 points. The Raiders bounced back with a 67-62 overtime win against Blessed Trinity.

Sandy Creek has looked good since earning the No. 1 ranking in Class AAAA. The Patriots dropped No. 5 North Clayton 69-55 behind Evan Jester’s 22 points and 12 rebounds. No. 2 Upson-Lee has cruised, but hasn’t seen much competition yet. The Knights beat Class A-Public No. 6 Taylor County 46-34 in their toughest game. That will change however as A-Public No. 2 Crawford County hosts Upson-Lee this Tuesday in a rivalry game that hasn’t been played in years. Back up to No. 3 is Henry County. Javon Greene went berserk at Holiday Hoopsgiving, pouring in an event record 57 points to stun Langston Hughes.No. 8 Richmond Academy looks primed to jump No. 7 St. Pius if the Golden Lions can’t upset Gainesville in Hall County.

Class AAA has a few developing stories including Westside-Macon rising to No. 1 in the state after losing to Norcross. Pace Academy opens up slow just like last year, losing to Jemison, AL 67-50 at the Lighthouse Classic. The Knights fall to No. 2. From what I saw against Norcross, it looks like Westside-Macon has more pieces to the puzzle than Pace does. The Knights were able to ride Wendell Carter to a state title last year, but I don’t think the playoffs will lay out as nicely for them this year with the likes of Westside and Liberty County in the mix instead of Manchester. Speaking of No. 3 Liberty County, they took a whipping from Newton but bounced back strong against Friendship Academy, DC. No. 7 Jenkins is in the danger zone, threatening to drop out of the Top 10. They fall three spots and are now 0-3. Losses to Meadowcreek (69-58) and Class A-Private No. 5 Holy Innocents’ (71-67) hurt a lot. If Jenkins or anyone else drops out, Dougherty might crack the rankings. The Trojans are 3-0 and have been powered by 6-foot-9 forward Carlos Curry.

Everything has changed in Class AA with No. 5 Thomasville’s poor play. Their guards have let them down in a major way, but luckily for them the season is still young. No. 3 Monticello went to the Impact Sports Invitational in South Carolina and lost to Dorman (86-57) and Spartanburg Christian (60-59) before beating Laurens (79-45). Ashton Bonner and CJ Adams have excelled in Coach BJ Thomas’ backcourt. Banks County and Swainsboro both say goodbye to the Top 10. Swainsboro lost 76-58 to Twiggs County and were beaten by Effingham County 61-54. Banks County suffered a 72-59 loss to Hart County. Two surprises replace the two exiting teams. No. 9 Glenn Hills and No. 10 Toombs County. Glenn Hills has seen 6-foot-8 power forward Timmy Sellers anchor them inside. They will get a major test against Richmond Academy on Dec. 2. Toombs County Head Coach Laberton Sims has nearly matched last year’s 4-win win total in his first year on the job after coming over from Tift County. The Bulldogs haven’t been challenged in their wins, beating West Laurens (57-42), East Laurens (65-25) and Jenkins County (74-58).

Greenforest remains No. 1 in Class A-Private and continues to wait on the return of Justin Forrest. Their win over Westlake was a nice early season gut-check. No. 2 North Cobb Christian dropped their first game to Orlando Christian Prep, 51-46. No. 5 Holy Innocents’ 71-67 win over Jenkins keeps them ahead of No. 6 Lakeview Academy, who won the Piedmont College Harwood Classic. No. 10 Whitefield Academy clings onto the final spot after a loss to Hillgrove in the Powder Town Showdown.

Quitman County jumps to No. 5 in Class A-Public after a 3-1 start. Their lone loss came against Eufala, AL by one. No. 2 Crawford County crunched Mary Persons 85-71, setting up a huge game with Upson-Lee. Manchester dropped the ball against Harris County 68-64 and falls one spot. Hancock Central is reeling, plummeting four spots to No. 10 after losing to Baldwin 53-35.

The most anticipated night in the 3-year history of the Holiday Hoopsgiving did not disappoint as four of the top-50 high school basketball teams in the country showed out for the standing room only crowd at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. This night had been hyped up since the September 30th schedule release and it clearly lived up to the anticipation, as there was not an empty seat in the arena and 3+ rows of people standing courtside as well as on the upstairs track. The post-Thanksgiving entrée was obviously the dream-matchup between the top two point guards in the country, Collin Sexton and Trevon Duval, but the appetizer of Georgia powers, Norcross and Greenforest, was not one to miss.

No. 5 Norcross 57, No. 1 Greenforest 46

Friday night provided us with a rematch from last year’s Hoopsgiving, where Greenforest dominated Norcross, 77-48. The Blue Devils were determined to garner revenge as they led from start to finish in a low scoring, grind-it-out 57-46 affair. Neither team shot the ball very well (both at 30.5%) but Norcross gained the edge at the free throw line, going 17-21 from the stripe. Norcross capitalized all night by catching Greenforest off guard with the fast break. Their lightning quick guards, Jordan Goldwire and Kyle Sturdivant, were getting past the giants of Greenforest and attacked the rim all night. Four Blue Devils scored in double figures and were led by Goldwire with 13 points. The 6’2 senior guard shot 5-13 from the field (1-3 3pt, 2-2 FT) and added 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Goldwire not only produced on the offensive end but was also very stingy on defense as he led the team with 4 steals.

5’10 junior guard, Dalvin White, followed up with an 11 point performance of his own on 3-8 shooting (2-5 3pt, 3-3 FT) while also adding an assist and 2 steals. Rayshaun Hammonds and Lance Thomas each tallied 10 points and were crucial as always for the Blue Devils. The UGA commit Hammonds, also added a huge 9 rebounds in the win. Hammonds and Thomas were integral on the defensive end for Norcross as they made it difficult for the Greenforest guards to feed their big men inside. They didn’t put up huge numbers offensively, but were the X-factors in the win on the defensive end. Look for Norcross to make some noise this season in the new AAAAAAA classification and don’t be surprised if you see the Blue Devils crash the Final Four as they certainly have the talent to do so.

Greenforest was shorthanded in this game as senior point guard Justin Forrest was out due to a foot injury. Leading the way offensively for the Eagles in his place was senior combo guard, David Quimby. Quimby put up 15 in the loss, shooting 6-18 from the field (3-12 3pt). The power trio of Ikey Obiagu, Victor Enoh and Abayomi Iyiola only combined for 11 points on 10 shots. None of the three got enough touches, but credit Hammonds and Thomas of Norcross for helping prevent any easy entry passes to the post. Clearly Greenforest is not the same team without Forrest as they are with him. When he returns, expect this team to return to its dominant ways in Class A-Private as he provides a significant spark that’s just lacking right now.

IMG Academy 99, No. 2 Pebblebrook 94

Friday night closed with a bang as the top two point guards in the country, Trevon Duval and Collin Sexton, put on a show for the max-capacity crowd in the main gym at Holy Innocents’. This high scoring affair saw highlight plays on almost every possession as there were explosive dunks, deep 3’s and powerful blocks all night. The crowd “Ooohed and Awed” all night as some of the nation’s top talent proved why this was one of the most anticipated games of the high school season. Both teams shot extremely well (IMG – 61.5%, Pebblebrook – 51.6%) which led to such a high scoring affair.

Duval finished with 24 points on 10-20 shooting (1-4 3pt, 3-7 FT) while adding 6 assists and 5 steals in the win. On the other end, Sexton, deemed by many as “the best scorer in the country”, lived up to this title as he exploded for 39 points (23 in the first half) on 11-18 shooting (5-9 3pt, 12-13 FT). Duval didn’t put up the numbers that Sexton did, but that’s in large part due to his uber-talented supporting cast. Duval controlled the offense all night and kept everything under control. He didn’t make the highlight plays that people are used to seeing but he’s such a smooth basketball player and really makes everyone around him better. He’ll go up and challenge anyone he faces at the rim, while also having the ability to step out and knock down the three. It is no wonder that he is arguably the top high school player in the country and whoever lands his services will be getting a bona fide baller.

The man that brought everyone to their feet the entire night was mega-bouncy, 6’8 junior forward, Emmitt Williams. Williams can fly and he was arguably the most athletic player that stepped in the gym all day. It was dunk after dunk that made everyone shake their heads in amazement as he threw down some of the most powerful rim-rockers that I have ever seen. He finished the night with 21 points on a ridiculously efficient 8-9 shooting (5-5 FT) while also totaling 9 rebounds. While Williams was outstanding on the offensive end, he was just as dominant on the defensive end. He altered shots all night while also totaling 5 blocks. His athleticism made Pebblebrook change their shots all night while also thinking twice about attacking the rim. Williams definitely showed out on one of the country’s biggest stages.

The combination of Williams with 6’9 junior Silvio de Sousa and 6’8, 285-pound Isaiah Stokes pummeled Pebblebrook inside all night. They just bullied their way in the post, getting layups, and snagging rebounds, all while causing the Falcons to foul them multiple times down low. As good as the guard play was for IMG, the difference maker in this game that put them over the top was the size and skill down low. de Sousa added 14 points and 7 rebounds while Stokes tallied another 12 points and 4 rebounds. The 30-14 rebounding advantage for IMG showed that Pebblebrook just doesn’t have the size down low right now to challenge IMG in the paint.

The final big performer for the Ascenders was DeAndre Osuigwe. The senior guard tallied 16 points on 5-10 shooting (4-6 3pt, 2-2 FT) while also adding 4 steals and 2 assists. Osuigwe quieted the crowd all night as he knocked down huge 3-pointers every time Pebblebrook started to make a run. He was a great defender as he battled with Sexton and Drue Drinnon all night while also helping facilitate the offense smoothly. He was very key in the Ascenders victory.

For Pebblebrook, aforementioned Collin Sexton obviously led the way with 39 points and 5 rebounds. He continued to do what he does best by attacking the rim and getting to the line a whopping 13 times. He started off the game ridiculously hot, knocking down three after three to give Pebblebrook the early lead. From the games that I’ve watched during the high school season and travel ball circuits throughout this past year, Sexton is without a doubt the most entertaining player to watch. There’s so much that has already been said about him but his high-energy and high-enthusiasm style of play is just so fun to watch. Avery Johnson and Alabama are getting a downright stud that can easily help turn around a program next year.

Following Sexton in the scoring category was Elias Harden with 16 points on 6-14 shooting (4-10 3pt). Harden can stroke it from just about anywhere on the court and every time he pulls up, you expect it to go in. He hit big shots all night, including a 3-pointer to tie the game at 89 late in the fourth quarter. This kid can definitely make a big impact at Xavier next year as his shooting ability fits in perfectly with their system.

Drue Drinnon also made a solid impact for the Falcons with 13 points on 4-11 shooting (5-6 FT). The 6’0 junior made some big shots all night and fearlessly attacked the rim. He added 5 assists and 2 rebounds in a losing effort but definitely had flashes of brilliance that showed why he is such a highly sought-after recruit.

All in all, this night was just a special evening for all who attended. The enthusiasm the crowd showed all night made the atmosphere that much more entertaining. Even teams like Wheeler and Milton, who had games at different locations earlier in the day, showed up at Holy Innocents’ for the night session to witness some of the best basketball that the state had to offer. Now, Saturday night’s slate features some of the top teams in the state and country in Wheeler and Westlake. If it is anything like the Friday night session, then we are all in for a treat.